Kerala moves apex court against HC order on takeover of churches

The Kerala government has moved the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court’s October 17 order which upheld a single judge’s direction to the District Collectors of Palakkad and Ernakulam to take possession of six churches under the control of the Jacobite faction.

The single judge’s order, passed on a contempt petition, was upheld by a division bench dismissing the appeal filed by the Chief Secretary and the District Collectors.

In its appeal filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, the State maintained that the direction of the High Court to the District Collectors to take possession of the churches was beyond the contempt jurisdiction of the High Court. The direction to take possession of churches was out of the scope of the writ petitions itself, the petitioners said.

There was no disobedience on the part of the petitioners against the single judge’s order. The officials, in compliance with the order, granted police protection and assistance to the Orthodox faction to take possession of the churches. But there was strong resistance from the other faction and other parishioners who laid a siege to the churches with children, women, and elderly people and regardless of the police protection, there was a huge law and order situation, the petitioners said.

Published - October 22, 2024 10:05 pm IST